Saturday, July 30, 2011

Log Off....


Turtles at the Ardastra Zoo
I continue to be forever grateful for the many wonderful friends
I have made online.
I wonder at the wealth of inspiration and knowledge to be gained on the internet.
The world seems literally to be at my finger tips!
Beadie blogs and web sites abound !!!  So much FUN!!!

But, now and then I feel the need to take a break from swimming about in the computer pond.
 I find it helpful to log off and just bask in the sun!!!
Summer vacations are the time we traditionally set aside regular daily routines .
We go somewhere different ,do something different ...leave our pond and sit in the sun awhile.
But ,we can and should  take mini vacations  through out the year !

I realize  that the Holidays are fast approving and you want to be at your creative  best !!!
Not to worry, inspiration and motivation come from all over .
Sometimes inspiration and motivation can even come from doing Nothing  !
If you are like me you are thinking about beads and  bead designs even when you believe you are not ...LOL!!
Somehow those ideas for all things beadie just seem to get into our heads by osmosis !
I can go grocery shopping or even to the dentist,come home and be struck by a moment of bead inspiration !
Where did it come from??? Who knows ???
Maybe it was just waiting until my brain took a rest, to develop .
Or maybe the idea just  arrived out of thin air...by magic!

There are times we intentionally seek inspiration .
We plan a  trip to an art gallery, botanical garden, exotic location etc...
But, there are times I believe we just need rest our bead brains!
We need  time to restore our creative energy .
Time to let ideas and inspirations age a bit like fine wine !
Whether it be a long summer vacation  or just a few moments basking in the sun
this week
log off
rest ,restore
then  log in
and
Bead Happy !!!
m.e.


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Cool Blue Summer

The Blue Bahama Door   
This week much of the USA is experiencing an oppressive heat wave. It might be a record breaker !
Living in Maryland I am no stranger to heat and humidity .
I grew up without air conditioning. Yes , I'm that old !!!
Many summer afternoons were spent sitting inside,
shades drawn against the scorching sun, fans running at full blast.
All non essential housework was put on hold .
We ate cold salads because it was "too hot to cook".
The adults sat and sipped endless glasses of iced tea and iced coffee. I spent my time sitting at their feet coloring and crafting .
I had a captive audience.  Bliss !!!

There are days I wistfully think it would be nice to have an excuse to do nothing  but sit and sip cold drinks !
But ...no... I do not want to give up my air conditioned comfort !!! 
In my artificially cool house beading, cooking and housework proceed as usual ...and in that order ..LOL!!!
But, still I feel an inner need to " beat the heat " 
I put away my warm tone clays in favor of a cool color pallet.
I was particularly drawn to the muted blue of the wonderful door my daughter photographed in the Bahamas .
I know  my work area would remain the same temperature
if I worked in flame orange or hot pink !
But, the blue tones reminded me of the shade drawn rooms of my childhood . I could almost feel the fans blowing over me .
Working with the cool blue color pallet brought back the happy, content feeling of those long ago Summer afternoons .
Funny how colors influence us ...how they evoke emotions and influence mood .......
If its hot where you live 
this week work in a cool color pallett
and 
Bead Happy !
m.e.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Unique Creations

What does this  photo have to do with beads?
keep reading......
My daughter took the picture on our trip to Nassau.
The flamingo resides at the Ardas'tra Gardens and Zoo,
home of the marching  flamingos  !
This little zoo is true gem.Don't miss it if you visit Nassau .
We watched this flamingo for a long time .
Clearly  she was carefully tending a Coke can.
I think most people didn't stop to take notice of her effort .
A few probably though  she was silly, strange or sad to be nurturing a can .
But ,to me she was a symbol of my own creative  endeavors.
I 'm not concerned if I go unnoticed or my work is misunderstood.
What matters is the happiness I feel nurturing my own little
Coke can of creativity !!!

The ETSY "featured Seller 'interview usually includes the question "What does handmade mean to you?"
My personal answer would  be lengthy since I  am a huge fan of  made by hand art and  crafts .
I love handmade for a myriad of  reasons .
But, one of the best things is that it implies a uniqueness so often lost in our cookie cutter world .
Items created by hand are each a bit different even when they are  meant to be the same !
I could make a million roses (I probably have)
But, they would each be a bit different .
I make no apology ,Mother Nature makes each of her flowers a bit different too!

I love the one of a kind creations that spring from heads and hearts and lovingly take shape in and someone's hands.
The wonderful and sometimes wildly unique ideas that can not be or will not be duplicated.
When  I design jewelry I strive to make a uniquely artistic piece. On rare occasion I  think this happens .
But, there are times I create something uniquely bad!!!
More often,I  like to think my work falls somewhere in between.
However, I believe the important thing is the joy I feel from the process. I love imagining ,planing and puzzling over every creation. Fabulous ,frightful or some were in between,each of my designs is mine alone.Something unique and very special to me .
This week think of the Flamingo
create something truely unique
just because you can !  
(get it ..can ...LOL!!!)
and 
Bead Happy
m.e.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Garden Design

Heart of the  Garden


It's time for the July Art Bead Scene challenge !
This month's painting is Morning in the Garden at Vaucresson,
by Edouard Vuillard .  How perfect for Summer !!!
The gardens around me are in  full bloom !!!
I  think it's obvious I love flowers  and plants !
I love every sort of garden . I love everything from the spare beauty of a Zen garden to the overgrown medley of a wild meadow. My own little gardens are  something in between .
They are disorderly enough to remind me of wild woodland glens.
But ,they are orderly enough to make  weeding and tending the plants possible .
Unless your goal is to create wild life habitat ,
your garden probably has a practical side to it's design.
If you have  enough free time maybe you have an elaborate formal garden with all types of wonderful plants.
If you have little time ,you might have just a few easy to care for favorites.Living gardens  by  necessity , balance the pretty with the practical.

Our  Bead garden designs allow us more freedom !
When I saw this month's painting I knew I could design  my garden just as I liked .
I decided it would be all about colors in the painting !
I didn't select a  just  few of the colors.
I used all the the colors I could find !!!
I  wanted  the feeling  of a lush garden ,carefully tended but still a little on the wild side .
A place with colorful flowers blooming in  every nook and cranny. Not a sunshine bright garden glowing with  primary colors .
But ,a misty morning garden with all the soft  shades of Vuillard's painting.
I wanted my design to capture that  feeling of a quiet, peaceful morning  among the flowers.  
My real garden is  badly in need of weeding .
It's baking under glaring Summer sun.
But, thanks to ABS, my necklace garden seems to have a cool, serene feeling .
A perfect  way for me to add a touch of calm to a busy day !
How does you garden grow ?
this week create  a bead garden designed  just for you
and
Bead Happy ,
m.e.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Holiday Colors

This week I've been planning  a Fourth of July barbeque .
The holiday weekend marks the height of Summer Fun for me.
I was really in the mood to use  red ,white and blue clay !
But, jewelry design should always be at  least one season ahead .
I should be thinking about fall and winter color pallets.
Is it too late  in the season to think about  listing  red ,white and blue beads ???

Funny how we associate colors with holidays.
Red and green,black and orange ,pink and purple pastels...
all bring to mind certain times of the year.
I'm sure my beadie friends the world over, have their own concepts of which colors go with their favorite holidays.
Of course not all jewelry is  seasonal.
People do wear pink in the winter or russet in the spring !
But ,we often sell more items in the colors associated with the season.Should I be making red ,white and blue beads this week ?
I really wanted to!!! But, I did need to make items for my shop .
I thought it over it and I had a "light bulb " moment !!!!

Red and white does remind me of  gingham check tablecloths for Summer picnics.
But, it also makes me think about Christmas Candy Canes and Valentines day Hearts with Lace .
Blue and white is perfect for a breezy Summer afternoon but it also brings to mind a Snowy winter morning . Blue and white is perfect for  Hanukkah too.
This week I decorated my house for the Fourth of July .
I am ready to celebrate the birthday of the USA !
I'm  ready ready to celebrate Summer !
I did make my  beads in red,white and blue ! 
I hope my beads will find homes with designers who don't necessarily pick seasonal colors and with designers who are looking ahead to winter !!!
How do you decide what color pallet to work on ???
this week pick some unexpected colors
and
Bead Happy !
m.e.